Are Shrooms the Next Cannabis?

If you're like me, you probably remember the first time you saw marijuana being smoked out in the open, and especially the first time you saw a dispensary or were offered legally bought edibles.

I grew up in Alabama, where getting caught with a quarter ounce of marijuana could put you on a potentially endless cycle of jail time, and moving to California in the early 2000s, I was amazed to watch the somewhat rapid legalization of pot as it evolved from prescriptions to dispensaries to fully branded, professionally crafted cannabis products.

So it's understandable to ask, after Oregon voters this week legalized therapeutic use of psilocybin mushrooms, whether psychedelics will be the next controlled substance to go mainstream, shed its stigma and join the ranks of consumer products.

My Adweek colleague T.L. Stanley, an expert in the cannabis landscape, takes a look at this very issue with a fascinating article on the status and outlook for psychedelics.

It's an incredible read, and while there's plenty of caution being espoused here in terms of if or when mushrooms could appear in dispensaries or otherwise become available beyond use in therapy, it's clear that advocates see this as the beginning of a "psychedelic renaissance."

What's your outlook on psychedelics? And what drugs do you see joining this legalization discussion in the years ahead? Let me know at the email below or at @Griner on Twitter.

David Griner
Creative and Innovation Editor, Adweek
[email protected]

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